The Japanese automaker is getting ready to introduce its 2012 Scion iQ “Premium Micro-Subcompact,” billed as “the world's smallest four-seater.”

The iQ, just 10 feet long, goes on sale on the West Coast in October, then in Texas and the rest of the country beginning early next year.

Prices will start at $15,265 (plus $730 freight), and the tiny car comes with a 94-horsepower, 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission.

It will have a combined city/highway EPA fuel-economy rating of 37 mpg, which won't make it the most fuel-efficient car on the market, but it will be competitive.

There are cars with much more interior space that have similar fuel economy, however — even some compacts, such as the new Chevrolet Cruze.

The iQ is just a bit longer than the Smart ForTwo, which is 8.8 feet long. But the iQ seats four, while the Smart, which has been slow to catch on with U.S. consumers since its introduction four years ago, has room for only two.

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Smart, a brand of Germany's Mercedes-Benz, originally had planned to introduce a ForFour model in the United States, which would have been about the same size as the iQ. But plans for that model were scrapped, and all we've seen is the smaller model, which hasn't been much more than a cute curiosity on U.S. streets so far.

There are plans to expand the Smart lineup here to include a four-passenger model, but Toyota is beating Mercedes to the marketplace with the iQ. The ForTwo uses a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with 70 horsepower; it's assumed that a four-seater would have an engine more in line with that of the iQ.

The ForTwo has EPA ratings of 33 mpg city/41 highway, or 36 mpg combined. It's also available in very limited quantities in an electric version.

As for the iQ, it will be the smallest vehicle Toyota sells in the United States, but cars of this size are popular in many other countries, particularly in places where people have lower incomes and gasoline is more expensive.

Scion gets the iQ in its lineup because it is Toyota's “innovative” youth-oriented brand. But the iQ might be a hard sell among young, first-time car buyers. The Smart has skewed toward a much older audience than the under-30 crowd that has been targeted by Scion.

“Scion prides itself on being an innovative brand with a lineup of iconic vehicles that set automotive trends,” Scion Vice President Jack Hollis said. “The iQ is the fourth vehicle in the family, and it will define the premium micro-subcompact segment as the choice for new urbanites who want clever transportation without a sacrifice in style or new features.”

Aimed at urban drivers who must regularly negotiate crowded city streets, the iQ might not be a big draw in sprawling areas such as Texas, where cars that can burn up the freeways at 80 mph or above are more in demand.

“Meeting the needs of a new trendsetting generation of urban drivers, the iQ succeeds at taking big ideas and concentrating them into a small package,” Toyota says. “Made possible by intelligent and functional packaging, the iQ is a small car that offers the functionality and comfort that drivers expect from a car twice its size.”

The automaker says the car does not sacrifice “features or comfort to reduce its footprint,” but instead “relies on intelligent design.”

“Six engineering innovations are responsible for the iQ's ability to be small in size, but large in capability,” the automaker says. “A compact front-mounted differential, high-mount steering rack with electronic power-steering and a compact air-conditioning unit all amount to significant decreases in front-end length.”

The car also comes with a flat gas tank under the floor that helps reduce overall length, and there are “slim-back” front seats to “optimize rear legroom.” The iQ's “3-plus-1” seating layout “allows one adult to sit behind the front passenger and a child or small package behind the driver,” Toyota says.

Wheelbase is just 78.7 inches — 18.2 inches shorter than that of Toyota's smallest U.S. vehicle now, the Yaris three-door hatchback.

The iQ is 66.1 inches wide, though, which is almost the same as the Yaris, at 66.7 inches. That gives it a “confident stance that handles like a much larger car,” Toyota says.

The engine, with its 94 horsepower and 89 foot-pounds of torque, isn't far from the 107 horsepower and 104 foot-pounds of the Yaris. It has Toyota's latest variable-valve technology, which allows it to be “efficient, providing a broader power band yet requiring less fuel and generating fewer emissions,” the company says.

Safety is the biggest concern of many consumers when it comes to a car this small. The iQ comes with 11 air bags, including the “world's first rear-window air bag,” Toyota says. Others include driver and front-passenger front bags, driver and front-passenger seat-mounted side bags, side-curtain bags for both rows, a front-passenger knee bag and a Scion-first — driver and front-passenger seat-cushion air bags.

Among other standard safety gear is Toyota's Star Safety System, which includes antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist; electronic stability control with traction control; Smart Stop brake override; and a tire-pressure monitoring system.

Toyota says the iQ has a “geometric shape” that is “defined by a strong and high beltline” and includes “large, stout headlamps.” Outside mirrors with integrated turn signals “accent the clean design and give it a premium look,” the company says. Standard are 16-inch alloy wheels.

The rear seatback can be folded flat in a 50-50 split, adding storage space that can accommodate large suitcases when all of the rear isn't needed for passengers.

Among other features is a leather-wrapped steering wheel with red stitching and a flat bottom, designed to increase driver thigh room. The steering wheel has built-in audio controls, as well.

Standard is the Scion Drive Monitor, which displays outside air temperature and average fuel economy, and has an ECO-drive indicator to help the driver achieve the best mileage.

Also included is an AM/FM/CD/HD/USB 160-watt Pioneer audio system with Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone connection and streaming audio. The system has a personalized welcome screen, iPod/USB connectivity and subwoofer RCA output jacks. The USB/auxiliary connections are on the center console, convenient for attaching an iPod or other audio player.

Optional is a 200-watt Pioneer premium audio system with a 5.8-inch LCD touch-screen display, iTunes tagging, Pandora Internet radio (connected through an iPhone to reach the Web) and six RCA outputs to add external amplifiers.

Also available is a 200-watt navigation/audio system with DVD player and 7-inch touch screen.